Tuesday, May 18, 2010

uncertain certainties

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." -Hebrews 11:1

On my way to the youth office this morning, I passed a woman in her car with a license plate that read, "LIFESKS." It seems like Virginia has the highest percentage of drivers with vanity plates. I've seen some pretty clever ones, but this one, well, sucked. Aren't morning commutes tough enough without being reminded that life sucks?

I wanted to shout some encouragement to the driver as I passed her on her left, but I decided that it would be a bad idea to shout at someone with a license so negative. Probably should keep my eyes on the road.

I wanted to tell her that life doesn't suck. It just doesn't. What I'm discovering about life as a green girl, fresh out of college is that in life, you need to be certain in the uncertainties. For instance, every day, I wake up and drive to St. Giles Presbyterian Church. Though, the thirty minute commute is no mystery to me (I've been going there since I was eight), until recently I always knew what to expect when I arrived. I had youth group, or church, or Sunday School.

Now, however, when I pull into the parking lot, I have absolutely no idea what's in store for me. Will I be dressing up as a giant chipmunk (Why? Because the costume shop was out of squirrels, of course!)? Will I be attending a staff meeting in which we discuss condoms (due to recent vandalism in the church parking lot)? Will I go to Home Depot and watch as my youth pastor swipe one-hundred bathroom tiles individually through the self check-out line (the machine lady said, "Sixteen cents, sixteen cents, sixteen cents, sixteen cents" over and over each time he swiped).

I do know that each day at the office will at one point or another leave me crumpled on the floor in a painful fit of giggles, with tears streaming down my joyful face. That's about the only thing I can be completely sure about.

What I'm discovering about my life that does anything but suck, is that it is full of uncertainties. This is the one thing I am certain of.

And isn't faith the same way? Haven't we been told that faith is certainty in the unseen? I am not always certain of how God is going to use my gifts for His glory (as evidenced in my last few posts), but I am certainly certain of His presence, His working, His movement in my life.

I just wish other people in my life could recognize that. And I wish that lady with the sucky license plate could recognize that. Life is exciting. Life with faith is even better.